Dethier Architecture

Kempart Loft

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

PHOTOGRAPHS
Serge Brison

AREA
154.0 m²

YEAR
2012

LOCATION
Liège, Belgium

CATEGORY
Housing

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

Text description provided by architect.

The Kempart loft project emerged from a meeting between Daniel Dethier and a client, who was passionate about precision engineering.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

It demonstrates how industrial spaces can be transformed into housing without becoming locked into stereotypes.

We were fortunate to have a committed and receptive client who was fascinated by precision engineering.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

This allowed us to apply our research into a loft's reinterpretation, and to integrate a technically advanced architectural object.

Our approach was, quite naturally, based on the client's profile rather than the site's historical nature – as it does not present any heritage value whatever.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

The movement to transform small and medium-sized industrial sites into housing units began in the 1970s.

Often, however, such renovations were superficial in nature – a passé, rough-hewn treatment for a lifestyle out of synch with contemporary expectations.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

Most observers are aware of this, yet preconceptions about how "lofts" should be designed are as deep-rooted as they are pseudo-contemporary.

Hence, getting off the beaten track and proposing bold aesthetic choices combined with cutting-edge finishings was more difficult in this context than for other types of projects.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

For the Kempart loft, the concept was straightforward: to create a living space for a couple with no children in an abandoned industrial bakery.

Beyond the basic technical requirements, our proposal was mainly focused on the space's layout, function and sensitivity.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

To begin, we opened the space up as much as possible, removing the tie beams and strengthening the rafters with metal plates set in the ridge beam.

The resulting 154 sq. m open area was structured by the introduction of a rounded modular unit housing two bathrooms, storage areas, a toilet and the heating and ventilation systems.The modular unit divides the interior space and provides for various functions while creating a range of ambiences.

Kempart Loft
Kempart Loft

Beginning with the entrance, the space provides zones for the hall, office, lounge, kitchen, dining room, bedroom and dressing room. The lounge area is located on the southern side of the space, while the bedroom is to the north.

The modular unit has a unique design; its silhouette, aluminium cladding and careful attention to detail were all inspired by the Airstream trailer's aerodynamic aesthetic.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

We commissioned artist Jean Glibert to select the bathroom areas' saturated colours, which can be glimpsed through three porthole windows that can be rendered opaque.

These variegated tonal elements energise the interior architecture, which is predominantly white, a colour that reflects the indirect light and emphasises the unit's brushed aluminium skin.

Kempart Loft
Kempart Loft

The pure lines and tonal range produce a feeling of weightlessness, reinforced by the understated, high-tech furnishings, which were also commissioned.

Particular attention was paid to the placement of the floor-to-ceiling windows and the to the views from the lounge area – one can look down a street and out towards the spacious terrace, whose surface area is equivalent to two-thirds of the interior space.

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison

The terrace almost doubles the living space and offers the inhabitants direct contact with the neighbourhood.

Kempart Loft
Kempart Loft


Kempart Loft
Kempart Loft
Kempart Loft
Kempart Loft

Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison


Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison
Kempart Loft
© Serge Brison


Kempart Loft
Plan
Kempart Loft
Site Plan

Dethier Architecture
T +32 476 289100 F +32 4 2544851
Dethier Architecture
Bd d'Avroy 87, 4000 Liège, Belgium